The First of Samuel, 3

¹ Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was ministering to Jehovah before Eʹli, but word from Jehovah had become rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

² One day Eʹli was lying down in his usual place, and his eyes had grown dim; he was not able to see.

³ The lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, and Samuel was lying in the temple^*1 of Jehovah, where the Ark of God was.

⁴ Jehovah then called Samuel. He answered: “Here I am.”

⁵ He ran to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said: “I did not call. Lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Jehovah called once again: “Samuel!” At this Samuel got up and went to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said: “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.”

⁷ (Now Samuel had not yet come to know Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah had not yet been revealed to him.)

⁸ So Jehovah called again, a third time: “Samuel!” At that he got up and went to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.” Eʹli then realized that it was Jehovah who was calling the boy.

⁹ So Eʹli said to Samuel: “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you should say, ‘Speak, Jehovah, for your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ Jehovah came and stood there, and he called as at the other times: “Samuel, Samuel!” At this Samuel said: “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ Jehovah said to Samuel: “Look! I am doing something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears about it tingle.

¹² On that day I will carry out toward Eʹli all that I said about his house, from start to finish.

¹³ You must tell him that I am bringing a lasting judgment on his house for the error that he has known about, for his sons are cursing God, but he has not rebuked them.

¹⁴ That is why I have sworn to the house of Eʹli that the error of the house of Eʹli will never be atoned for by sacrifices or by offerings.”

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of Jehovah’s house. Samuel was afraid to tell Eʹli of the vision.

¹⁶ But Eʹli called for Samuel: “Samuel, my son!” At this he said: “Here I am.”

¹⁷ He asked: “What message did he speak to you? Please, do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and add to it if you hide from me a single word of all that he said to you.”

¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything, and he did not hide anything from him. Eʹli said: “It is Jehovah. Let him do what is good in his eyes.”

¹⁹ Samuel continued growing up, and Jehovah himself was with him and did not let any of all his words go unfulfilled.^*1

²⁰ All Israel from Dan to Beʹer-sheʹba became aware that Samuel had been confirmed as Jehovah’s prophet.

²¹ And Jehovah continued to appear in Shiʹloh, for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiʹloh by the word of Jehovah.